Hockey fans in Colorado make it rain Teddy Bears!

Hockey fans are incredible.

The Teddy Bear Toss is becoming a hallmark of the holiday season in the hockey world and I must admit that it is one of my favorite hockey traditions of all time. Not only does it create an amazing visual experience when witnessing the actual Teddy Bear Toss itself, but when you stop for a minute and think of the thousands of young children who will now have something to celebrate on Christmas you simply can't help but smile and often will genuinely make you yourself feel joyful just by proxy.

On Saturday night we were once again witnesses to another awesome Teddy Bear Toss but this one was extra special. The event occurred during the match up between American Hockey League teams the Colorado Eagles and the San Diego Gulls on the Eagles home ice at the Budweiser Events Center but it was a special one for the Eagles especially. You see this marks the very first year that the Eagles are members of the American Hockey League and the first year that they serve as an affiliate for the Colorado Avalanche organization. In spite of being just a first year AHL team however their fans showed up with teddy bears in hand and did not disappoint in the least when it came time to flood the ice with stuffed animals.

After the goal was scored the fans in attendance littered the ice with teddy bears and what was particularly cool about this Teddy Bear Toss was the fact that the players themselves stayed out on the ice and played a role in helping load up the thousands of stuffed animals that were now on the playing surface. A pickup truck was brought out onto the ice to load some of the precious cargo but there wasn't nearly enough room in the bed of the truck so players began to shove the bears through the windows. It all made for a rather comical series of moments but at the end of the day this is all again for a very good cause so everyone had big smiles on their face, both on the ice and in the crowd. 

Here's to hoping this is a tradition that continues to grow. 

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